We have been asked a good bit in the past 2 years about Icarus, the second single from the Battlegrounds Album, and what it’s really about. Some have said Mythology, others have said, Christianity. And there are still other people who have thought relationships. And the truth behind it all is….they are all correct. While I won’t give away all the secrets, I will divulge just a few points that will hopefully give the song some perspective.
When we write a song, it comes from a very deep place. Whether it’s being written from pain or joy, it all has meaning to us. Our hope is that the listener feels a piece of what we felt when we wrote the song. As well as connecting to that song on a personal level. The case of Icarus is no different. The song is based on our protagonist. Who, despite his best efforts to remain morally upstanding, loving, and supportive, has serious issues with the woman he is dating. These issues begin with the church she attends. “Gilded faces fill these spaces feeding the stained glass doors. Parade the flesh is all you insist. Convince them you don’t exist.” To our protagonist, this is how he sees the people he’s surrounded by on Sunday. They are there for show, and he relates that behavior to his girlfriend. This coupled with her lofty ideals of a relationship keep him in a state of flux. He never feels he’s good enough for her, and yet he’s madly in love with her. Hence the chorus:”Try, and yet I fail again. My last flight, my last fight.” All of these things keep him unhappy. And yet, he can’t seem to let her go. “my last lie, my final goodbye”. Until finally, it ends in “broken pieces, lying lifeless, scattered across the floor”.
We hope that will give you a little insight into one of our favorite songs. As a little side note….some insider information if you will. This song was actually recorded in 1 day. With some of our music, we will record rhythm tracks for a few days, and then come back the next day to track lead guitar, vocals, etc. However, this song was actually recorded in one day. In fact, this vocal track actually surprised our long time producer, and sound engineer, Shane Baldwin(who we need to stop and give mad props to. Dude does and amazing job). His remarks, when Wally steps into the vocal booth, usually go something like this. “ nope….do it again.” “I need more of that….not so much, pull it back some.” And some days it sounds like this…”I need your vocal coach’s number, I think I would rather yell at her.” However, when Wally recorded Icarus, it was a different story. He said something to the effect of, “now that’s more like it!” “Do that from now on.” While it’s all in good fun, Shane has always had a way of pulling the emotion out of each song, and bringing it to the forefront, above the music. Pushing us to play with the emotion we felt when we wrote the song. This in turn carries over into our live performances. After all, music is what feelings sound like.